1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing dust and dirt deposited on a recording surface of an information recording medium. Such a device is suitably used to clean a surface of a card-like optical recording medium (hereinafter optical card) or card-like magnetic recording medium (hereinafter magnetic card).
2. Related Background Art
In an apparatus for reading information recorded on a magnetic card such as a cash card or credit card, the magnetic card is inserted in the apparatus and the information is read by a stationary magnetic head while the magnetic..,.card moves. If foreign materials such as dust, fingerprints or oil are deposited on the recording surface of the card, the head is damaged, and reading precision is lowered or the foreign materials enter into the apparatus and causes a failure thereof. Accordingly, in this type of apparatus, it is usual to mount a cleaning device for removing the dirt deposited on the card surface, immediately behind a card insertion slot.
An example of the cleaning device is shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 30902/1978 in which a pair of cleaners which are made of soft material and have projecting areas and recessed areas alternately arranged are mounted in a path of card insertion so that the card is sandwiched by the pair of cleaners.
In this cleaner device, the cleaners for cleaning the card are fixed and the card is cleaned only by top edges of the cleaners. Accordingly, the top edges of the cleaners always contact the card and become dirty, and hence the lifetime of the cleaners is short.
When an object to be cleaned is an information recording medium other than the magnetic card, the same problem arises. In an optical information recording medium such as optical card, the information is recorded at a high density and hence the dirt must be removed efficiently.